Hatter's Point of View
by Neverfallforfun
Summary: Based on Alice, the miniseries from the SYFY Channel.
1. Chapter 1

**Hatter's Point of View Chapter 1**

"Do you know what the next flavor is, number 10?" The man asked the suit who stood opposite him.

"I think the queen said something about 'pure conscience" or something like that." The suit said. He handed the man a clipboard. He signed it, and handed it back. "The boxes of teas are being unloaded at dock 4." The suit said.

"Dock 4? But that's halfway across the city!" The man protested.

The suit shrugged. "Sorry Hatter, that was the only open dock." He bowed his head slightly, and left.

Hatter grumbled something incoherent for a few minutes, and hit a buzzer on his desk.

"Yes?" Came a squeaky voice.

"The new teas are coming in to dock 4. Get someone on it. 200 crates are coming in, so make sure they can handle it."

"Yes, Hatter." Came the voice.

_I don't get paid enough for this._ He thought. _I hope the resistance doesn't want any of these teas. The Suits will be keeping tabs on the new flavors for awhile._ The resistance usually wanted some of the teas to experiment with.

Dodo had said something about wanting to reverse the process, and return the siphoned emotions to their oysters, or something like that. He sighed.

The rush hour was going to begin soon, and money would be pouring in. He walked across the lush, green grass that carpeted the floor of his office, and sat behind his desk. He spent the next few hours trying to figure out how much money he could sneak out to the resistance without being caught by the suits. (Math was never his forte.) He sighed and rubbed his temples. Today was not a good day.

Dodo had yelled at him early that morning for not getting the new shipment in on time, and wouldn't accept the fact that all of the ports were being used up by the Scarabs. For some reason, they brought more Oysters than usual through the looking glass the previous day. He shook his head. That had nothing to do with it. Besides, Dodo would have to be content with the money, teas and supplies that Hatter would send him that night, and that would be the end of that.

There was a soft knock. Hatter rubbed his eyes quickly, and stood, shuffling the figures under some other bits of parchment on his desk.

"Come." He called. He walked around in front of his desk, and leaned against the edge nonchalantly.

The door swung open and a filthy, disgusting, ratty looking man shuffled through the door.

_Great._ Hatter thought. _He's back…_

"Hello, Ratty." Hatter said. "What brings you to my shop today?" The door swung shut and the man's pungent odor began to permeate the room. Hatter wrinkled his nose in distaste.

"Girl you should see." The man said in broken English.

"Oh?" Hatter asked, feigning interest. He inspected his nails.

"Oyster." The man said. Hatter's head snapped up. "Needs help."

"What the ruddy hell did you bring her in here for?" Hatter asked, his voice tight with shock and anger.

"Needs help." The man repeated.

"Alright." Hatter said. "Where is she?" He craned his neck to see around the ratty man.

"Downstairs." Ratty said. He pointed at the floor.

"Bring her up then." Hatter said. The man shuffled out the way he had come.

Hatter sat down in a large white chair to the left of his desk, sinking into the soft cushion. He turned his back on the door.

_Hmmm… A girl?_ He thought to himself. _What help does she think she can get from me?_ He thought for a few more minutes. _She must want to contact the resistance._

He heard the door open, and two pairs of footsteps crossed the room. One was a heavy, clunking, uneven gait. _Ratty._ Hatter thought. The other was light, and somewhat unsure. _Who are you?_ He wondered.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Hatter asked her, his back still to the door.

"No thank you." She said. Her voice was strong, but somewhat confused. She paused for a moment. "Who are you?"

Hatter let his chair swivel so that he was facing her. "A friend." He paused. "I hope." He took in her appearance. Opposite him stood an average-looking girl. She had long dark hair that clung to her face, and dark eyes. She wore a blue denim dress, the soaked fabric clung to her body, and her hair dripped occasionally on the floor. She had a red bandanna tied around her right forearm that Ratty was beginning to remove. "I run the tea shop." He said.

When he had the bandanna off, Ratty pointed to her arm. "See?" He asked. The girl jerked her arm away, glancing between Ratty and Hatter.

Hatter stood, and walked in front of his desk, turning his back on Ratty and the girl. "How did you break out of the Scarab?" He asked.

"What, the beetle thing?" She asked.

"Eh." He agreed.

"I used my hairpin and-"

"Fell." Hatter commented, turning to take in her wet appearance once more. He sat on the edge of his desk.

"As you can see, I'm drenched." The girl replied, a slight note of sarcasm in her voice. Hatter nodded, looking her up and down. Ok, so she wasn't average looking, but she wasn't the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She had a nice figure, judging by the way that her dress clung to her curves like that. "Look, this place," She began. "Where- what is it?" She sounded slightly exasperated.

"Oh." He pointed his fingers upward to indicate the surrounding area.  
"Wonderland." He replied.

"That's a story in a kid's book." She said. She looked at him like he had two heads.

Hatter was shocked. "Does this look like a kid's story to you?" He asked her.

She thought for a second. "No."

"It's changed a lot since then." He said. He pushed himself off the desk, and began  
walking towards her.

"Oh, so you're saying that it was real?" She asked. She clearly didn't believe him.

He pulled a magnifying glass out of his pocket, and pointed at her with it. "You oysters don't know how to find us, so- Excuse me," He took her arm, and began to look at it with the magnifying glass. "You tell yourselves that we don't exist." The green mark was clearly imprinted on her arm. Hatter was, by now, familiar enough with the swirls of the pattern that he could spot this mark a mile off. "An quite frankly, we'd like to keep it that way." He glanced at Ratty, and then the girl.

"Why am I an oyster?' She asked, jerking her arm back. "Wha- this?" She indicated the green mark on her arm.

"That's not gonna come off." He said. She looked at him, then down at the green mark, then up at him again. "Sorry." He said, his face cracking into a grin. She stared at him. He lost his smile. "Only people from your world turn green when burnt by the light." He said. "It's the Suit's way of branding their catch." He turned from her. "And they call you oysters," He indicated her over his shoulder. "Because of the shiny little pearls," He put the magnifying glass down on the desk. "That you all carry inside."

"What do you mean 'pearls'?" She asked, her voice slightly scared, and confused.

"She's Alice." Ratty finally spoke up. Hatter had forgotten he was there. Ratty turned to the girl. "T-tell him who you are." He said.

"Wow…" Hatter said, looking from the girl to Ratty and back. "Really?' He asked, mock wonder permeating his voice. He's heard too many rumors circulating through the Resistance to believe that this scrawny little girl was the Alice. He circled around her. "Oooohhhh!" He joked, trying to sound spooky like a ghost. He laughed. He came to a stop by Ratty. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as the man's odor assailed him again.

He clapped his arm around Ratty's shoulders. "Ratty here thinks you're Alice." Hatter said. "Of legend." His smile faded from his face.

The girl thought for a moment, a bewildered look on her face. "Who?" She asked.

Hatter looked Ratty over for a moment and dropped his arm. "The last um…" He glanced at his palm, and tried to rub the dirt off his fingertips. "The last time a girl called Alice came here," He circled behind her again. "From your world," He stopped in front of her, only a few inches from her face. "She brought down the whole house of cards. Oh yeah." He nodded knowingly. "Made quite an impression. Although it was a hundred and fifty years ago." He rounded on Ratty. "It can't be the same girl." He said. He glanced at Alice. "Oysters don't even live that long." He said.

"I still want a good price." Ratty said.

"Wait a minute!" Alice interrupted. "I'm not for sale!" Hatter held up a finger to silence her. Hatter stared at Ratty for a moment, and then turning back towards his desk, he glanced at Alice and rolled his eyes at Ratty's request.  
He took a few steps and heard the heavy, uneven steps behind him. "Not on the grass!" He commanded. The footsteps stopped. Hatter stopped in front of a cabinet filled with glass beakers that contained liquids of various colors.

He considered each one, and picked up a blue one. He turned back to look at Ratty, and shook his head. He put the blue one back and grabbed a pink one instead. "Here we are." He said, turning back to face Alice and Ratty.

"Hmm." He said, turning on the floor man routine. "Pink nectar." He said after a moment, holding it up in his right hand. "Filled with the thrill of human excitement. Fifty oysters were drained of every. Last. Drop. Of hullaballoo so that you, Ratty, can taste what it feels like to win, just once." Ratty reached out to take the bottle, but Hatter snatched it back. "Warning." He said. "Don't take it on an empty stomach, and only one tiny little drop at a time, otherwise, the experience might burst your shriveled up little heart." He said. "Got it?"

"Got it." Ratty said, eagerly.

"Good. Go." He held the bottle out to Ratty, who snatched it from his hand, and raced out the door. Hatter sniffed his hand. He wrinkled his nose. "He really smells." Hatter said, looking up at Alice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hatter's Point of View Part 2**

Her eyes flashed. "Oysters were drained?" She asked, her voice slightly accusatory. "What do you mean 'drained'?" She fixed him with a solid stare.

Hatter sized her up for a moment. _Well, the less she knows, the better._ He thought. "Ratty tells me you're looking for someone." Hatter said, turning back to his desk.

"His name is Jack Chase." Alice said, her mind diverted from its course. She took a few steps toward Hatter, who had just sat himself down in a chair before his desk, had picked up a cup of tea, and was raising it to his lips. "He was taken by a man with a white rabbit on his lapel." She said.

"I see." He said. _How in Wonderland did she get that close to him?_ Hatter wondered. "Hmm." He trailed off and took a sip of his tea to give him time to think. _Should I tell her the truth? Might as well, she'll find out soon enough._ "The White Rabbit," Hatter began quickly, "is an organization controlled by the suits. They travel back and forth through the looking glass," he waved his hand to add emphasis. "and vanish people from your world to ours." He finished.

"Why?" Alice asked.

"To use." Hatter said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "In the Casino." He took another sip of his tea.

"Use?" Alice asked, her voice confused and mildly disgusted.

Hatter almost coughed into his tea. He put it back down on the desk quickly. "Did I say 'use'?" He asked, looking at Alice. "I-" He stood. "Slip of the tongue. They're fine. You know, they keep them… alive, and," He paused, looking for the right word. "moderately happy." He finished.

"How do I get to this Casino?" She asked.

_How do you what?_ He thought. "That's the thing, you don't." He said, putting on a happy face. Alice's eyebrows furrowed. Hatter's heart gave an extra thump at the sight of the wrinkles and the way her mouth set into a hard line. _Must be the tea._ He thought. "Way too dangerous." He added. _Dodo._ He thought. "But, I know some people," He said. He began to walk towards her. "Who know some… well, other people." He smiled. When he stopped, there were only a few inches separating him and Alice. "If you know what I mean." He leaned in towards her. "It's one of the privileges of… running a tea shop." He popped the last 'p' with his lips, and laughed as Alice jumped back a few inches in surprise. She fixed him with a very unhappy look. He stopped laughing. "Lighten up." He said.

He turned back around. _No sense of humor._ he thought. Then his eyes fell upon the wardrobe in the corner, and an idea popped into his head. He motioned for Alice to stay where she was, and ran over to the wardrobe. He opened the doors. "Tah-dah!" He said in his thick accent. Alice stared at him like he was mad. "You," He said, pulling one of the coats off the rack, "should wear this." He shook it out, and returned to her side. "It'll cover the glow, and stop you from catching a cold." He said. _That nose wouldn't look very cute when it's red._ He thought. He shook it off.

She looked him up and down for a moment. "I have a little money." She said, shaking her right hand nervously. "But, I understand you don't use that here." She said.

"Pieces of paper?" Hatter asked, almost laughing. "Pointless." He said.

"Then why would you help me?" She asked as he circled behind her to help her into the dark purple coat.

Hatter paused, and thought. _Personal gain._ He thought. However, after a few moments, he said, almost into her ear, "Do I need a reason help a pretty girl in a... very wet dress?"

She turned around to face him, disbelief evident in her eyes.

"Oh." He said. "I see." His voice sounded hurt. "You don't trust me." He stated, matter-of-factly. "Fine." He said. He slammed the coat on the couch that was a foot to his right. "I am genuinely hurt." He said. "Do you know why they call me Hatter?" He asked.

Alice thought for a second. "Because you wear a hat?" She asked.

_Yes, actually._ Hatter thought, _But that's not the point._ "No." He said after a moment. "Because I'm always there when they pass the hat." He said, circling back around her. He thought for a second. "So to speak. Philanthropy." He said, pointing at her face. He continued past her, and went to stand behind the chair he had sat in when Alice had first appeared. "Generosity. I mean, you- you can call it what you will. It's who I am, and, right now, looking at you there, there's nothing I want more than to.. help you find-"He paused. _What was his name?_ He thought. He floundered for a second.

"Jack." Alice filled in.

"Jack!" Hatter agreed. "and return you both to your charming world of children's stories." He leaned on the back of the chair.

"I don't believe you." Alice said.

_Smart girl._ Hatter thought. He approached her again. "I know what you're thinking." He said. "If I am the frying pan, then that out there," Hatter pointed towards the back exit door in the corner. "is the fire." He paused, and searched her eyes for a second. _She won't accept anything but the truth._ He thought. _She knows I'm not telling the truth._ "I'll be square with you." He said. "I know people, who like to help your kind. And if, every once in a while, I scratch their backs," He paused, looking at her, his eyebrows high, indicating that she should understand his meaning.

She nodded. "They'll scratch yours." She said.

"Precisely." He said, happy her mind was at rest, and hoping she would go with him now. He was hoping for a nice, fat, payoff in return for the lovely female oyster. "Lot of scratching." He said, a goofy smile on his face.

Alice looked him over for a moment, weighing all of the possible cons with all of the unlikely pros, before turning to the couch and picking up the purple jacket.

_Yes._ He thought. _Victory is mine!_ He turned around as Alice pulled the jacket on, and went to open the back door he had motioned to before. "Do try to keep up!" He said as he opened the door. He held the door open as he waited for Alice to pass through. She took a deep breath and passed by him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hatter's Point of View Part 3**

Hatter followed, shutting the door behind him. Alice was looking at him, questioningly.

"Follow me." He said. He turned right, and walked a few hundred feet. He heard Alice's soft, unsure footsteps behind him. He laughed on the inside. _She wouldn't last a day here on her own._ He thought. He came to a stop at the top of a ladder. "Follow me down, would ya?" He said. He turned to face her, and began to descend the ladder.

"No looking up my skirt." She said as he disappeared.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Hatter replied. _She probably doesn't have that nice of a backside anyway_ He glanced up, and noticed that she wasn't following. "You're going to have to come down sometime." He shouted up to her. She nodded. Hatter shook his head, and continued climbing down. He jumped, and alighted on the soft ground at the foot of the ladder. He turned his back to the ladder and waited for Alice.

He glanced back, and she was right behind him, moving slowly down the last few rungs of the ladder. _At this rate, we'll never get to Dodo_ He sighed. He put his hands on her hips, and lifted her to the ground.

"Thank you." She said after a moment. He stared at her for a second, straightened his coat, and turned away.

_Strange girl._ He thought. He walked a few steps, but didn't hear her following footsteps. He turned. The foolish girl was practically glued to the ladder, looking at the edge of the grass in fear.

He walked back. "What's the matter?" He asked.

She swallowed. "I've got a thing about heights." She replied. Hatter looked over the edge at the ground far below. "Why couldn't you guys build the city on the ground?" She asked.

_Because then it wouldn't be Wonderland._ Hatter thought. He turned back to the terrified girl. He shrugged slightly. "Look at me." He said. She didn't respond, her eyes still glued on the edge of the grass. "Alice." He said. She closed her eyes, then turned her face towards his. He held out his hand. She stared at him for a few more seconds. He could practically see the battle going on in her mind. _The sooner you take my hand the sooner we can get to Dodo._ He thought. Alice took a deep breath, and took her hand off the ladder, and put it quickly on Hatter's hand.

"Try not to look down." Hatter said after a moment. "Mmkay?" Her eyes glued on his, he began to walk backwards, leading her away from the edge. She didn't let go of his hand until they stopped walking. She pressed her back up against the wall, and closed her eyes.

Hatter coughed slightly to cover the awkwardness. Although, he had a feeling that it was only awkward for him. When Alice had taken his hand, it felt like something had fallen inside him. He had never had that feeling before. _What's wrong with me?_ He thought. _Maybe I'm getting sick._ The more he thought about it, the more he thought it must be so. _Yeah, that's definitely it. The tea must not have agreed with me._ He shook his head.

He turned to the door before him. It was a plain, drab, grey color that matched the dullness of the rest of the city. He knocked, and a moment later, a peephole slid open.

He cleared his throat. "I'm returning a library book." He said. "It's a work of Edwin and Morcar."

"How does the little crocodile improve his shining tail?" Came an old voice.

"He pours water of the Nile on every golden scale." Hatter replied, impatiently. _Do we have to do this every time?_ He thought.

The peephole slid shut, and the sound of locks being unlocked could be heard through the door. A moment later, the door opened.

"Come on, be quick." Said the old man. Hatter walked inside, and he heard Alice's footsteps following him.

"Hello Duck." Hatter said. Duck didn't reply. He just pulled some levers and pushed a blue button. The rickety lift started downward. Alice fell onto the bench behind her, and looked up at Hatter, shocked. "S'alright." Hatter said. The lift came to a stop. "Wait." He said to Alice, putting up a finger to stop her from rising. The lift jerked downward. Hatter heard Duck grunt from behind him. Hatter shrugged. Alice stood, and Hatter stood aside to let her pass before him. They looked out, and straight down the barrel of a shotgun. Hatter turned behind him, and saw that Duck was also pointing a shotgun at him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hatter's Point of View Part 4**

_Great._ He thought. He prodded Alice in the back, and she descended the stairs of the lift. Hatter followed behind. "Why don't we just… put these things away." Hatter said as he descended the stairs. "Come on, you know me well enough."

"We have our orders." Duck said from behind.

"Keep that right hand where we can see it!" Owl said. She still had her gun pointed at Hatter's chest. Hatter came to a stop at the railing; Alice at his side, both had their hands up.

Hatter opened and closed his right hand. He sighed. "It's just flesh and blood." He said.

"Right," She said. "We've all seen what you can do with that sledgehammer." She said, pointing her gun at his hand.

"Did you like the box of comforts I brought you guys last week?" Hatter asked the man and woman. They looked at each other. "The cured meats, and the cheese."

"They're all gone." Duck said.

"Well, if you don't treat me with a little respect, you won't get another crumb." Hatter said calmly. He saw Alice look at him out of the corner of his eye.

After a moment, Owl lowered her gun, holding it to her chest. "I'm sorry, Hatter." She said. "Everyone's a little jumpy!"

"Everyone's always a little jumpy." Hatter replied. He put his hand on Alice's back and pushed her forward. They started down the hall.

"Where are we?" Alice asked. She was looking around.

"The Great Library." Hatter said. "5000 years of history hidden here. Art, literature, law. Rescued when the Queen of Hearts seized power. She'd like nothing more than to see this burnt to nothing."

"Who are those poor people?" Alice asked.

Hatter turned to look at her, only to see that she had stopped a few paces back, and was looking over the edge of the railing. He strode to her side.

"Refugees." He replied. He put his hands on the railing, and looked down at the sad sight below him. _None of them deserve this._ He thought. "Those who don't want to be a part of the Queen's world of instant gratification." He paused. "We give them shelter, and try to feed them the best we can, but it is dangerous. If the Queen found out, they wouldn't stand a chance."

"Why does she want to destroy all of this?" Alice asked after a moment.

"Wisdom is her biggest threat." Hatter replied, looking at her. "She controls people with a quick fix." Alice stood in silence for a moment. Hatter stared at her for a moment, then his gaze was distracted by a glint off her left hand. There was an old looking ring on her ring finger. _She's engaged._ He thought.

Part of him was relieved, but, another, very small part that he wouldn't recognize until later, was mildly disappointed.

"Come on Hatter!" Came Owl's voice. "Dodo's waiting!"

Hatter rested his hand on Alice's arm, and pulled her away from the railing. "Dodo won't wait for long." He said. Alice nodded. They continued down the corridor, and through a pair of large wooden doors.

Hatter and Alice stopped in the center of the room. There were books everywhere, and a large wooden desk in front of them. It was darkly lit, and a large tree was growing out of the floor and over their heads.

"What do you want?" Came a voice form the shadows.

"She's looking for her boyfriend." Hatter said. "A Jack Chance."

Alice glanced at Hatter. "Chase." She said. She cleared her throat. "His name is Jack Chase.

"She needs help. I thought of you Dodo." Hatter finished.

"Really?" Said the voice. The man emerged from the shadows. "And why would I want to help your Oyster," He asked. "when you know that bringing her here puts us all at risk?"

"Oh please." Hatter said. "I've spent years smuggling more dangerous stuff than this down here." He glanced at Alice. _The teas for instance_ He thought.

Dodo smiled. "You know what rankles most about blood-sucking carpetbaggers like you, Hatter?" He asked, coming around to the front of his desk. "Your gall." He said, matter-of-factly. "While we risk our lives, trying to bring freedom to ungrateful _leeches_ like you, you swan about, living the good life."

"Stop your crowin'." Hatter said. "You know I'm on your side." _And he says I have gall._

"I'm sure you say that to all your enemies." Dodo said, turning away.

"I do what's necessary!" Hatter replied through clenched teeth. "I kiss what butts need kissing so your machine stays oiled."

"Look," Alice began. "If you can't help me, I'll just leave." She turned away.

"Well, headstrong, isn't she?" Dodo joked, looking at Hatter.

"Can you help me get Jack out of the Casino?" Alice asked Dodo.

"I don't see how." Dodo replied.

"The resistance has contacts inside the Casino, right?" Hatter asked.

"No comment." Dodo said, looking away.

_That means yes._ Hatter thought. "Use them to find her guy." Hatter said. "She can pay you. But, I want my usual cut, up front." He finished. Alice looked at Hatter, confused.

"Pay me?" Dodo asked, coming back around the desk. "Pay me with what?" He asked.

Hatter circled behind Alice so that he was standing on her left side. "Show him the rock, Alice." He didn't look at her. _I am, after all, offering up her engagement ring._ He thought.

"What?" She asked.

"The ring, on your finger." He said, still not looking at her.

Alice glanced between Hatter and Dodo. "No, that is off-limits!" She whispered, leaning in closer to his face.

"It's all you have, Alice." Hatter said. _This isn't a hard concept to grasp._ He thought. _It's just a ring._

"No." Alice said.

Dodo walked over, and picked up Alice's left hand, examining the ring. He looked up at Alice from the ring. "It's not possible." He breathed. Alice jerked her hand out of his. "Where did you get it?" He demanded.

"It's none of your business, it's not for sale." Alice replied, defiantly.

"Where did you get it?" Dodo yelled.

"Wha-what is it?" Hatter asked. He had been looking back and forth between Alice and Dodo as they fought.

Dodo looked between Alice and Hatter. He took Alice's hand to show Hatter the ring. "Your Oyster," He began, "Is wearing the Stone of Wonderland!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hatter's Point of View Part 5**

Hatter's brain seemed to go into shock. "That's impossible." He said, turning to look at Alice.

"I'm never wrong." Dodo said.

"Where did you get it, Alice?" Hatter rounded on her.

"Jack gave it to me." Alice replied. Hatter felt a slight pang at the look of confusion on her face, but pushed it aside.

"Jack?" Dodo asked her. He took a step forwards.

"Jack Chase, the one we're looking for!" Alice said defensively.

"Well where did he get it?" Dodo took another step towards her.

"I don't know!" Alice exclaimed, taking a half-step back.

"Give to me!" Dodo demanded loudly.

"No!" Alice defied him.

A small part of Hatter was impressed at her bravery. Another part, a larger part, was screaming to him that this was about to go down a very dangerous road that they didn't want to be on.

Dodo turned to the woman. "Take her out!" He ordered. The woman cocked the gun in her hands, pointing it at Alice.

"Are you crazy?" Alice exclaimed.

"Stop!" Hatter said, he moved between Alice and the woman's gun. "Just wait." He pointed a finger at her.

"You're in way over your head, Hatter." Dodo said.

"Just give me one second to talk to her, ok?" Hatter proposed. _You can't hurt Alice. I won't let you._ Hatter thought.

Dodo pulled a pistol out of his pocket, cocked it, and pointed it at Alice, over Hatter's shoulder. "It controls the Looking Glass." Dodo said, his eyes fixed on Hatter. He heard Alice make a sound, and saw her arms go up out of the corner of his eye. "You know that."

Hatter glanced back at Duck, and saw that he, too, had drawn his gun. He looked back at Dodo. "Calm down." Hatter said. "Put the gun away. I'm sure we can all get what we want here."

"Look, no one is getting this ring!" Alice exclaimed from behind him. He glanced back at Alice, about the tell her to be quiet, when Dodo spoke instead.

"We've been waiting years for a break like this." He said. "And now it falls into our laps." Dodo advanced towards him, the gun pointed at Hatter's chest.

"Stop waving that thing around!" Hatter demanded. He maneuvered himself to be between Dodo and Alice. "You're scarin everyone!" _I knew Dodo was serious about his work, but this is just absurd!_ He thought.

"If we can return the Oysters," Dodo began, "back to their world, maybe we can save ours."

"Just put the gun down!" Hatter urged him.

"Think about it!" Dodo countered. "The Queen reduced to mopping floors! It'll be just like the old days." He said. Hatter looked back at Alice.

_He's not going to give up._ Hatter realized. _I can't let Alice get hurt. Then they'll take the ring for sure, then they'll kill her._

"Justice. Reason. And a rule of law!" Dodo kept going. He trained the gun higher on Hatter's chest.

"Stop this!" Hatter grabbed the barrel of the gun. He heard the crack of the gun, and felt a shock run through the barrel. Then something collided with his chest. The force of the bullet threw him backwards into a pile of book on the other side of the room. He heard Alice scream.

_Man that thing packs a punch._ He thought. _I suppose it was a good thing that I sport body armor on a regular basis._ He was winded, and his shoulder felt as though a jabberwocky was sitting on it.

"You shot Hatter!" He heard the woman exclaim.

"We don't need him anymore." Dodo exclaimed.

_You're going to wish you hadn't said that._ Hatter thought.

"The ring is our ticket out of here!" Dodo finished. Hatter heard the sound of a fight, and then a pair of footprints ran out the door.

_Good girl, Alice._ He thought. _My turn._ He pulled a gun quickly out of his coat pocket, and fired one shot into the air.


	6. Chapter 6

He sat up, and immediately trained the gun on Dodo, who was staring at him, wide-eyed. His shoulder throbbed painfully and he clapped his left hand over it, applying pressure in a futile effort to control the pain.

He pulled himself up, one hand on the chair beside him, and scrambled between Dodo and the door. His gun never left the man's chest.

"Leave her alone." Hatter commanded. "Or believe me, the next one will be aimed at your head!" _I need to give Alice enough time to get out._ He thought. He hoped that Dodo wouldn't call his bluff. Hatter had just used his last shot to intimidate the resistance cronies, and was now bullet-less.

"Look, Hatter." Dodo began. "This is a game changer." Hatter swung the small handgun to point it at the woman for a moment, who pointed hers somewhat hesitatingly back. Then he pointed it back at Dodo. "I'll give you three times your price." Hatter glanced out the door, trying to see how far Alice had gotten down the hallway. "Five. Ten. You name it."

_Desperate._ "Back off!" He punctuated each word with a jab of the gun.

"If you let her leave with the ring," Dodo began, changing tactics. "I'll have every member of the resistance hunting you down. You'll be dead before tea time!"

_He's hilarious._ Hatter thought, sarcastically. His shoulder gave another painful throb. "And that's the thanks I get for keepin' you bums fed and watered all these years!" He let his gun hand drop as he glanced at the woman, and Dodo took advantage of his moment of distraction.

He grabbed Hatter's arm and twisted it behind his back, pushing it upward until it hurt. Hatter cried out in pain as Dodo forced him to the ground. Hatter fell forward, and Dodo ran out of the room.

Hatter coughed, and felt like he was going to hack up a lung. After a moment, he felt a hand under his elbow, pulling him to his feet. He looked up to see the woman who had pointed a gun at him before. Her eyes were closed, and her face was half-turned away. Hatter glanced over at Duck, and saw that he was looking away as well. He nodded in understanding.

"Thanks." He said briefly. He paused a moment to catch his breath, then the thought of Dodo hurting Alice presented itself in his mind, and he followed the resistance man out the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Hatter's Point of View Part 7

He ran though the wooden double doors, and started sprinting down the corridor. He looked up, and Alice was already inside the lift. He could tell, even from this distance, that she had no idea how to start it.

_She needs more time._ Hatter thought. With his lighter weight, he quickly caught up to the bulk that was Dodo. He launched himself at Dodo, tackling him to the ground.

"Hatter!" He heard Alice call from the lift.

He put his knee on Dodo's back in an effort to keep him down. This was not mean feat, for Dodo was putting up quite a struggle. He pointed towards Alice, "It's the blue button!" He shouted to her, short on breath. Dodo quickly turned over underneath him, and pushed Hatter of him with a kick to the stomach. Dodo tried to tackle him against the wall. "Go Alice!" Hatter urged her, trying to push Dodo off him. "Hurry up and push the blue button!" He heaved Dodo off him, and across the path. Hatter reared his arm back, and aimed a heavy punch towards Dodo's face. Dodo dodged at the last moment, and Hatter's fist sunk into the pillar where Dodo's head had just been. "Lucky." Hatter cursed the resistance man.

Then, it seemed like everything happened in a blur. Dodo kneed Hatter in the stomach, then in the face, and Hatter fell on the floor, looking up at his attacker, and now the second-to-last person Hatter ever wanted to see. Dodo bent over Hatter and lifted him up off the ground by the arm, He punched him once across the face. Twice. A third time. Hatter could see stars popping everywhere. He couldn't think. With every hit that landed on his face, Hatter's shoulder hurt less and less.

When Dodo landed the fifth punch, his weight was suddenly lifted off of Hatter, and he felt himself getting turned over. He blinked a few times, his vision slightly fuzzy, and recognized the shapeless form in front him as his hat, He pulled it towards him protectively. Suddenly, Dodo fell down beside him, his face bleeding. He felt two hands grab him by the shoulder, and try to pull him up.

"Come on, Hatter!" Came Alice's now semi-familiar voice.

"How did you do that?" He asked as they stumbled away from the fallen revolutionary. She didn't answer. _Great,_ He thought._ She can fight better than I can._ That was a serious blow to ego, though he didn't show it.

Alice pushed him inside the lift and pushed the blue button just as his shoulder gave a particularly painful throb. He gasped, having collapsed on the floor, leaning against the chair Alice had been sitting in earlier. The lift jolted upward, and they could hear the angry cry of Dodo down the hall.

When the lift jolted upwards, Hatter's shoulder seemed to have been sent into a whole new world of pain. He screwed his eyes shut. His breathing became labored, and painful spasms were shooting across his chest, down his arms and torso, and up his neck.

Alice bent over him. "How bad is it?" She asked frantically, her fingers fumbling over the tie at the neck of his shirt. When she finally got the tie undone, and the shirt was open, she was silent for a moment. "Body armor." She said incredulously. "You're not even wounded!" She hit him on the shoulder. He cried out in pain as another bolt of pain shot down his arm. "You lied to me!" She accused him.

"I was tryin to help you!" He replied, still breathing heavily. Even though the bullet hadn't actually penetrated his skin, the impact and the force of the bullet leaving the gun was enough to leave a very dark purple and black bruise underneath the skin, all along his collarbone.

"By selling my ring?" She asked sarcastically.

"I didn't know it was the Stone of Wonderland, did I?" He replied. _I didn't know that they would react like that either._ He added, silently.

"Well, you could have asked me before bringing me here!" She countered angrily.

"You wouldn't have come." Hatter said, massaging his neck, trying to keep the pain down.

"You're damn right I wouldn't!" She shouted. "He almost killed me!" She pointed a finger at him, punctuating every word with a jab.

"Well, he actually shot me!" Hatter tried to defend himself. "So-"

She stamped her foot, interrupting him. "Now, tell me. What _is_ the Stone of Wonderland?"

Hatter took a deep breath. "It's a big deal." The pain in his chest was finally subsiding a little, and he could focus now. "It was mined by the Ancient Knights to power the Looking Glass. The door that connects our world to yours."

"Knights?" She repeated.

"They were wiped out a long time ago by the Queen." He said. _Why do you want a history lesson now?_ He thought, mildly annoyed. "She took the Looking Glass, and, of course, the Stone." He groaned in pain as a last sharp throb shot across his torso. A thought popped into his head. "How did Jack get ahold of it?"  
He asked her. She didn't answer. He looked up at her, and she was staring at the ring on her left hand, a strange look in her eye.


	8. Chapter 8

Hatter's Point of View Part 8

She stared at her hand, not seeing anything else. _What are you thinking about?_ He wondered. Oh, how he wished he knew what caused that look on her face. _I bet she's thinking about Jack._ Just thinking the man's name made Hatter's shoulder spasm faintly. _What's so special about this guy that she would travel to another world to find him?_ it didn't even occur to Hatter that Alice hadn't intended to fall through the Looking Glass.

The lift jerked to a stop, and Alice came back to her senses. She glanced down at Hatter lying on the ground. A brief, unreadable look flitted across her face, then she ran down the stairs, and out the door they had come through about ten minutes prior.

_Great._ He thought. He pulled himself to his feet and followed her out. He looked left and right. He saw the hem of her jacket disappear around the corner to his right. He shook his head and sprinted after her. He followed the path around the corner, and through an archway that led down a short, semi-dark corridor. He saw her dark shape at the end of the corridor, framed by the pale light outside.

"Alice!" He called. She didn't hear him. At the end of the corridor, she turned left. He sprinted as fast as he could after her. He caught up with her in a few moments She had paused just outside the corridor that they had just exited, and was trying to decide which way to go. She was clutching the large tree and staring at the edge.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" He asked her.

"Anywhere but here!" She said. She kept both hands on the tree, and was circling around the trunk, still trying to decide where to go.

"There are no 'go areas' in this town." Hatter replied, trying to follow her around. He was laughing a little on the inside at how ridiculous she looked, circling the tree.

"Well, I don't believe this is happening!" Alice replied, pausing in her circling. "I mean th-this place," She looked at Hatter, swinging her hands in frustration. "You people," She pointed at Hatter, "this is all too weird!"

"Listen!" Hatter said, turning back towards her. "Calm down, I'm going to try to get you home, ok?'

"Chh. Really?" She scoffed. She circled back around the tree, away from Hatter.

"Yes!" Hatter insisted, exasperated. "Really! I-could you," He tried following her back around the tree, but she was moving to fast, so he turned back and intercepted her as she came around. "Could you just, keep still!"

"And what's in it for you? Let me guess, you want your usual cut up front?"She raised her eyebrows as she spat the words at him.

He spirits fell a few centimeters. "I don't blame you, for bein' angry!" He said. "I acted impetuously!"

"No, selfishly!" She corrected him. "You acted selfishly!"

"Whatever you want to call it." Hatter folded. "Let me make it up to you." She stared at him a moment. Hatter could tell she was still seething. _Tread lightly with her._ He thought to himself. "Alice, this is a dangerous place!" He warned. "Trust me, you're gonna need my help."

She stared at him in silence for a few moments, then slowly nodded her head.

_Good._ He thought. "Alright, we need to go back to the tea shop. You'll be safe there while I think of what to do."


	9. Chapter 9

Hatter's Point of View Part 9

Alice nodded, and turned away from the tree, starting forward.

"Um, the Tea Shop is this way." Hatter said, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder at the corridor they had just left. Alice turned to face him, a slightly sheepish look crossed her face, but it disappeared almost immediately.

"Alright then, lead on." She replied sarcastically. Hatter shook his head, a slight smile on his face, and turned back the way they had come. They had passed thorough the corridor, and by the front door to the Resistance before the silence between them was broken again.

"So, what use is this Looking Glass?" Alice asked Hatter, nonchalantly.

Hatter was secretly glad that she had broken the silence between them, and he hadn't had to do it. "The Looking Glass is the only way to get you back home." He paused. "It is here in the city, but it's the most heavily guarded piece of kit in Wonderland." _Naturally._ He thought

"I've gotta find Jack first." Alice replied.

Hatter stopped walking and turned to face her. "Have you not heard a single word i've said?" She stared at him, on hand on the wall beside her. _Oh yea, fear of heights._ Hatter remembered.

"N- I don't know how he got mixed up in this, but I know that he's not a thief." She insisted. She was shaking her head, and her hair caught the light as it moved through the air. "He was trying to surprise me, or... sweep me off my feet, and, so, somehow he got ahold of this ring and it has landed him in a pile of trouble." She fell silent for a moment. _She's justifying this?_ He thought. "If it wasn't for me, he would be home safe." She concluded.

_How is this your fault?_ He wanted to ask. Instead, what came out was, "How did he get ahold of it?"

"Well, i don't know." She said after a few moments passed. She crossed in front of him, and he caught a wiff of her hair. He felt that strange feeling in his stomach again. She continued down the path, still talking. "The point is," Hatter followed her. "I'm the only one who can get him out of this mess."

"How'd you figure that out?" Hatter asked her skeptically.

"Well, i've got the ring, I can use it to negotiate his release." She stated, matter-of-factly.

"Alright- No. No,"

"No?" Alice stopped walking, and turned to face him, her arms stretched out, grabbing the wall behind her.

"No, you can't negotiate with the Queen, she's crazy!" Hatter stated. "You have to cut your losses. You get the hell out of here while you still can!"

"No, I can't just abandon Jack, i mean, he's innocent." She said. _He's probably not as innocent as you think._ Hatter thought. "And besides, I like him."

"Oh, you like him?" he scoffed. _Like I hadn't noticed._ He thought, bitterly. he walked around Alice, continuing towards his Tea Shop.

"Yes!" Alice replied. "Alot!"

Hatter stopped walking again. he took a deep breath, and turned to face her. "trust me, I- I know a thing or two about liking people." _Oh no..._ He thought. _Do I...?_ "and in time," he continued, "after much chocolate and cream cake, 'like' turns into 'what was his name again'." _That's what I need, chocolate and cream cake. i think i have some in the Tea Shop._

"No-" Alice insisted. "Not in my world. Look, I have a bad record with liking guys-"

"There's a shock..." Hatter interrupted. he turned, and continued onward.

"And this is the first one that actually has meant anything." Hatter could hear her familiar gait following him. "There is no way that I am going to give him up now!"

Hatter shook his head slightly, and glanced up. There was some kid of commotion going on at the Tea Shop. He couldn't make out any faces, but he recognized many of the suits' uniforms. He held out an arm to stop Alice. "Stay close." he said after a moment. Then he continued forward.


	10. Chapter 10

Hatter's point of View Part 10

Hatter started forward again.

"Hey! Hey!" A metallic sounding voice with a thick accent reached his ears. _Why does that accent sound familiar?_ He wondered. Hatter stopped by the red telephone booth, keeping Alice behind him. There was a funny looking man up on the front porch, shaking a seemingly terrified man.

Hatter heard a soft gasp from behind him, and he glanced back to see Alice's eyes glued to the strange looking man on the porch. _I know how you feel._ He thought.

Hatter looked back up at the porch. "Look at me, did you see her? Heh? Ugh, get outta here!" Then the poor man screamed as he was thrown off the porch where he then rolled across the ground and over the ledge to meet his death below. The stranger turned around to interrogate another.

_They're not leaving anytime soon._ Hatter realized. He leaned his head back against the telephone booth and pounded his fists against the glass in frustration.

"Did you see her?" Came the metallic voice again. Hatter looked back up when another voice reached his ears.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait." One of the suits began. "She told you she was Alice?" Hatter didn't recognize the suit, but he recognized the man he was speaking to. _Damn you Ratty..._ He cursed silently.

"You work with rats long enough and you turn into one, eh?" Hatter commented.

"What is that?" Alice asked. Hatter assumed she was referring to the stranger.

"Nothin' i've ever seen before." Hatter said. But, the suit looked familiar. Like the accent, it seemed to stir up a memory. "Wait..." He squinted his eyes for a better look. "No, it can't be..." The stranger's head turned to look at him. Their eyes met. _No, you're_ dead! _I should know that better than anyone!_

The stranger started towards them, descending the steps slowly, with very heavy footfalls.

"Sir?" Called one of the suits after him. Hatter nudged Alice, and he heard her retreat. He glanced back at the stranger one more time, then he followed her. "Sir! Suits!"

Hatter and Alice trotted away, trying to look nonchalant so that the suits would give up, but to no avail. Hatter paused after a few moments, and looked back. He heard Alice come up behind him.

"What?" She asked.

Hatter didn't answer her immediately. He stared at the corner they had come around a few seconds earlier. He heard the heavy footfalls coming closer. "We should run." He said, trying to keep calm. The strange man rounded the corner. "Run!" He pushed Alice forward, and they broke into a run. The strange man didn't change his pace. "Quickly!" Hatter said as he passed Alice. "Come on!" He turned a sharp corner and they ran down a dark corridor.

They emerged from the corridor, and Hatter paused, looking back. The heavy footfalls echoed through the hallway. "That way!" He pointed forwards, his eyes still glued on the exit of the corridor. He passed Alice again and led her over to a small dock where a little, nondescript motorboat was moored.

"Down here." He said, starting down the ramp. "My smuggling boat. Quickly!" He repeated as he climbed inside. He heard Alice clatter in behind him. He glanced up at the corridor exit, and saw the suits emerge, following the strange man.

Hatter yanked the pull chord on the boat's engine. Nothing happened. "Hang on," He rubbed his hands together. "There's a knack to this," He tried again. No dice. "Which apparently I've never learned. As he turned around to go to the front of the boat, he saw that Alice was already undoing the rope that was keeping them moored to the dock.

He sat down in the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened. He'd always left the key in it for moments like this. Ironically enough, this was the first time he'd ever been chased by the suits.

He slapped the dashboard a few times, trying to give the little boat some encouragement. "Come on!" He turned the key boat's engine roared into life, and Hatter slammed his foot into the gas pedal. The boat jumped out into the middle of the river, and sped away out onto the lake.

_How the hell is Mad March still alive?_ Hatter wondered. _I cut his head off myself!_


	11. Chapter 11

Hatter's Point of View Part 11

Hatter stared at the water in front of the boat as is flew across the surface of the lake. His brain seemed to have stopped functioning. His eyes glazed over as he recalled memories so long forgotten.

_A garden. A long table with a white cloth. Hundreds of teapots and cups to match. Mismatched chairs. A small, dark-haired man running around the table with a tray. A shorter man with rather large ears and a rabbit's nose. A tall white haired man with a wide bell top hat. Two children ran around yelling and having fun. The sons of the first two men._

"How is a raven like a writing desk, my son?" The white haired man asked him.

"I don't know father." He replied.

"Hatta! You know that there is no answer to that." The rabbit-nosed man insisted.

"Indeed?" He asked, glancing at his friend. He turned back to his son. "I dare you to find an answer.

"Where is the Casino?" Came a female voice. Hatter jerked out of his memory.

"What?" He asked her, confused.

"Where is the Casino?" She repeated, somewhat impatiently.

He sighed inside. "I've already told you. You can't negotiate with the Queen!" He glanced over at Alice's face, and saw a dejected look cross her lovely features. His heart thumped. "But," he began, "the white rabbit is a different kettle of onions." He paused, considering for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Perhaps he'll do a deal. It's a long shot." He acknowledged. "But it's the only on we've got."

There was a moments silence, and Hatter could feel Alice's gaze upon him. "We?" She asked, softly.

He stared forward, willing to keep his eyes from tearing up as the image of the man on the porch, flocked by the suits, kept playing over and over in his mind. He swallowed. "I don't know if you noticed, Alice. But my shop was ransacked. I'm..." He had a little trouble saying the word. "homeless. I'm a target, not only for the suits, but for the resistance as well, and there are only so many places in Wonderland I can way I see it, I've only got one option." _Am I seriously considering going back with her? Yes. I am._ He was slightly shocked. _When did I reach that particular decision?_

"Which is?" Alice prompted him.

"Go back with you. To your world." He glanced over at her and their eyes met. He had to look away quickly as his heart thumped again. _Oh shut it you._ He silently commanded himself. _Now is not the time to become sentimental!_

A loud whoosh of air sounded from above and behind them. They both looked back. _Scarab. They must have had one waiting._

"Before we do anything, we have to shake that royal flush." Hatter said. He revved the boat's engine, and floored the gas pedal. The little boat took off, skipping across the water like a small stone.


	12. Chapter 12

"Where exactly are we going?" Alice questioned him.

Hatter pointed ahead of him. "The shore." He said.

Within moments, they reached the shore of the lake. It was thickly wooded and it would be impossible for the Suits to find them. That psycho with the ceramic head? Well, if he was indeed who Hatter thought he was, it could be possible.

When they were under the shade and cover of the trees, Hatter drove the boat a little further down shore. _They won't find it immediately, at least._ He reasoned.

He turned the boat off, and climbed out. He held out his hand and helped Alice out as well. Then he looked around. There were some branches laying around, and he had an idea.

"Wait a moment, Alice." Hatter said. "I'm gonna hide the boat." He covered the boat with the fallen branches, trying to conceal the dark wood as much as possible. When he was satisfied, he turned back to Alice.

She was frozen in one spot, listening intently to the forest. _What is it now? Don't tell me that she's afraid of trees too..._

"I don't who that weirdo is, leading the posse." He walked up to join Alice. "But, he's got one helluva nose for blood." He said. He stopped just behind her shoulder. "And this is the place to find it." A roar sounded through the forest, reinforcing his claim. _Jabberwocky._

"What was that?" Alice asked, her voice somewhat frightened.

Hatter was silent for a moment. "There are things in these woods," he turned to look at her, "that defy imagination." Their eyes, met, and Hatter turned away. He started forward. "Come on. We haven't got much time."

There was a slight incline, and Hatter was already at the top of it before he realized that Alice wasn't following him. He stopped and turned back to face her. She was looking up at him with a slight look of distrust in her eyes. "Look, we can't shake the posse. We can't fight 'em either. There's only one thing left to try." He paused.

"What's that?" Alice prompted him, her voice wary.

"Lead 'em into a trap." He said, his voice sober and serious. He turned away from her, and continued through the forest. After a moment, he heard her familiar footsteps fall in behind his own.

They walked on in silence. Hatter had to stop every few minutes for Alice to catch up. He scanned the ground and the trees around where they were walking, looking for the appropriate signs of habitation. _Where are you?_ He wondered. _I know that you're around here somewhere..._ Then he spotted them. Large, taloned tracks., about five feet apart from each other.

"Keep your breathing shallow." Hatter said. Another roar. _Good, she's close._ Hatter thought.

Alice gasped, and Hatter felt her latch onto his arm. _Keep breathing shallow._ He commanded himself, trying hard to ignore her touch.

"Yep." He said. "You should find a tree that you could climb." He suggested.

"What? Why?"

_So many questions._ He looked around again. "That trap we talked about?"  
Hatter said, turning to look at her. Her hands let go of his arm. "This is it." He motioned to where he was standing. He looked away, his eyes sweeping the area again. "I'm the bait." He swallowed. He gave Alice a slight shove. "Go." Then he started forward again.

"Wait, What is it?" She shouted after him. "Tell me!" He paused and she latched onto his left arm. He looked down at her hand, then into her face again.

"It's a Jabberwocky." He told her. He felt her hands drop.

"A what?" She asked, a look of complete disbelief on her face.

"Alice, less of the questions, just get going!" He commanded. He turned her around and pushed her away again.

"You're gonna lead this thing back to the posse?" She asked.

_Woman!_ Hatter thought, sagging in frustration. "Yes!" He snapped. "After he gets a good look at me! Now could you just please go!"

"That's your plan?" Alice asked, sarcasm and disbelief saturating her voice.

_Stupid girl._ Hatter thought. _If she doesn't leave..._ "If you don't-"

A roar reverberated through the forest, and Hatter could hear heavy, uneven footsteps. Another roar, this time, from behind. Alice and Hatter looked at each other.

_I'm sorry, Alice._ Hatter thought. They turned to look behind. Hatter heard Alice gasp slightly as their eyes fell upon the single ugliest creature in Wonderland, next to the Queen of course.

The Jabberwocky.


	13. Chapter 13

_Man that thing's ugly._ Hatter thought. Neither he nor Alice moved for a few moments. _Why are we still standing here?_ "Run." He suggested to Alice, forcing himself to be calm. He started off to his left, and heard Alice's running footsteps behind him.

The Jabberwocky roared again, and Hatter smiled to himself. _My plan is working!_ He congratulated himself. he ran for a few more yards before he realized that he couldn't hear Alice or the Jabberwocky behind him. _What the-_ He looked back over his shoulder, and saw Alice weaving between the trees, running in the opposite direction, the Jabberwocky hot on her tail.

"Not that way!" He said exasperated. "Alice!" Before he could think about what he was doing, he ran after them. Every now and then the Jabberwocky would roar.

They went on like this for at least a mile. Hatter's mind blank with panic and fear for Alice's life. He didn't seem to be gaining on them, but he wasn't really falling behind either.

The Jabberwocky tripped once, and Alice let out a brief moan of fear. Hatter put on a burst of speed that carried him closer.

Then, the unthinkable happened. After running between two trees, Alice tripped over a root, and tumbled to the ground. Hatter couldn't see what had happened. The Jabberwocky had stopped in front of him, and was roaring, and jerking his head around.

"No!" He cried out softly. He went to run around the Jabberwocky, preparing himself for the worst. It wasn't as bad as he had thought. Alice was sprawled on the ground, just out of the Jabberwocky's reach. She had gotten her head caught between the two trees and was straining to reach her prey. Hatter ran up beside Alice, and slid to a stop. He was slightly thrown off balance by the Jabberwocky's roar, a gust of her rotten, foul smelling breath buffeting him about.

_What do I do? What do I do?_ His numb mind wondered frantically. He stood and, when the Jabberwocky lunged forward again, he did the first thing he could think of. He socked it in the eye. The beast let out a scream of pain and recoiled from her assailant. _Brilliant!_ Hatter reached down, and pulled Alice to her feet. "Come on!" He urged her. "You okay?" He asked her when she was on her feet.

"Yeah!" She assured him.

"Good!" he pulled her after him, running away from the wounded creature. He glanced over his shoulder. still pulling Alice after him. The Jabberwocky had just pulled her head out of the two trees and was giving chase.

"Come on!" Hatter urged her again. The ran and ran, as hard as they could.

Then they were falling. The ground had given way, and they were falling into some sort of pit. He flipped over onto his back and lost his grip on Alice's arm. He made contact with the ground. Hard. It knocked the wind out of him, and left him gasping for air.

"Ow." He managed to say. He got his breath back fairly quickly, and raised his head to look around him. There were several tall spikes sticking out of the ground. _It's a miracle neither of us were skewered through._ He thought. _Oh no, Alice!_ He looked over, to his left, and saw Alice looking up at him. "You ok?" He asked her.

She nodded her head, breathing deeply. "Just about." Hatter tried to sit up, and his head swam. He gasped and fell back. Looking up, his eyes met those of the hideously disgusting Jabberwocky.

He heard Alice getting nervous beside him. "Stay still!" He whispered. The Jabberwocky dipped it's head into the pit, and looked around. It considered them from a few different angles before letting out a putrid roar. It lunged towards Alice, catching itself on one of the spears before it could reach her. It finally extracted itself, and roared one more time in exasperation before withdrawing and lumbering away.

Hatter lifted his head and coughed a few times. _Thank the knights that's over!_ He thought. He sat up and groaned. He leaned towards Alice. _I need to get her out of here before that thing comes back._ He thought.

There was a rustling above them. Uneven footsteps. _Oh no. It's back already._

"Vermin!" Came an old, irate voice.


	14. Chapter 14

Alice and Hatter looked up. An ancient man stood above them. He was dressed in what once was a shining suit of armor. He was completely covered in the rusting metal except for his face, which sported a long white goatee and mustache.

"Saboteurs!" He accused them as they propped themselves up on their elbows to get a better look at him. _You have got to be kidding me..._ Hatter thought to himself. "I was this close!" He held his hands a few inches apart from each other to show the distance. _Sure you were old man._ "This close!" He repeated. He returned his hands to his sides. "Degenerate bagheads!"

Hatter shook his head, and slowly pulled himself to his feet, testing to see if anything was broken while trying to ignore the lunatic that was ranting above them. He pulled Alice to her feet. They looked around. There was a long root that dangled into the pit on the far side. He indicated it to Alice, who nodded. They soon found themselves out of the pit, and looking it at the tin-plated insane asylum escapee.

He continued to insult them as he came around the pit, shaking his finger at them, and pulling off his mail hood to reveal a balding head. "Bug bashers!" He hissed when he finally came to a stop, about ten feet in front of them.

"Who the hell are you?" Alice asked him. _Straightforward._ Hatter thought.

The man straightened up. "I-" He clanked forward, his legs stiff. "-am a knight!" He said matter-of-factly. "The White Knight, to be precise."


	15. Chapter 15

"Sir Charles Eustace Fotheringhay Le Malvoy the Third." He said proudly, his chin held high. Very high in fact. _It's a wonder this guy doesn't just fall over backwards._ Hatter thought. "Who," He began after a moment's silence, "are you?"

"I'm… Alice." Alice replied, somewhat nervously. _The old crackpot makes me nervous too._ Hatter thought.

"Alice?" The Knight repeated. "The Alice?" He came in very close to her face, scrutinizing her features. "_The_ Alice?"

"No." She replied, pulling back involuntarily. "Just… Alice."

"Just Alice." He pulled back. "huh…."

"I thought all you guys were wiped out years ago." Hatter interrupted.

"Well, you thought wrong!" the Knight replied indignantly. "As you can see, I'm as fit as a butcher's dog!" He coughed.

"Are there any others like you?" Alice asked, trying a different approach.

"Certainly not!" He replied immediately, a laugh in his voice. He turned away and went to pick up his shovel. "I'm a one-off. My nan used to say that if I was the only eligible bachelor left in the world, there wasn't a warthog or wallflower who'd polish my escutcheon." He patted his stomach, and laughed. _Escutcheon?_ Hatter wondered.

"No," Alice began again. "I meant, are there any other knights in these woods? Um, your comrades in arms?"

"Heavens, no." The White Knight replied. "Are you mad?" He looked at her as if she were the one on the run from a padded room. "We were all wiped out years ago. Heh."

_Wait…_ "You dug that pit on your own?" Hatter asked, jabbing his finger at the large hole that had captured them earlier.

The knight dropped his shovel. "You think I'm too old?" He accused Hatter, advancing quickly. "Well, let me tell you something, nugface. Youth is vastly overrated." Hatter and Alice glanced at each other as they backed away. "I may have put on a few years, but I'm crafty!" He pointed at his brain. _Yeah, scrapbooking._ Hatter thought. "I have a very inventive and calculating mind," he began gesturing wildly, "stacked high with groundbreaking, state of the art ideas." He stopped his advance. "I invent all sorts of things."

_He's off his rocker…_ Hatter decided, staring at the Knight in disbelief. _I hope it's not contagious._

"The beehive mousetrap, for instance." The knight continued. He turned and began to double back towards the hole. "This here pit, as you so rudely call it," he doubled back, towards them, "is in fact my third attempt at the gravity-assisted snare, Mark 4." He was suddenly distracted by something and began to float back towards the pit.

_What about one through three?_ Hatter turned to Alice. "He's mad as a box of frogs. How the hell have you survived?" He turned back to the knight.

The tin man was turning in sporadic, jerky circles, arms out to steady himself. Hatter followed his eyes upward, but saw nothing. "Hm?" The knight put his arms back down. "Oh, yes! I am a knight. And I am an inventor, as I said," he walked towards Alice, "although, if I'm honest, it's strictly on a part-time basis."

"You don't say." Hatter asked. _Do I wanna know?_

"And I dabble in the black arts, now and then. Soothsaying, toenail readings, that sort of thing." He added. _Nope, I didn't want to know._ "Here, let me show you! Give me your palm." He reached out and took her hand in his.

"Get off!" Commanded Alice, pulling her hand away.

The knight suddenly looked very confused. "What's that on your finger?" He asked, pointing at the hand he had just held.

Alice glanced at her hand, and hid it in her pocket. "Nothing." She replied.

The knight took a step forward. "It's the sacred ring. The Stone of Wonderland. Our ring."

_That's enough._ Hatter decided. He pushed the knight back with a hand on his chest. "Don't get too excited, Granddad. The ring stays on the lady's finger, okay?"


	16. Chapter 16

Suddenly, the crazy old knight turned away from them. He clasped his hands together. "It is meant to be!" He cried. "This time, this place, this meeting in the woods…"

"Okay," Hatter interrupted, grabbing Alice's elbow and pulling her along with him, "We need to get away from him before he gets us killed." _Or worse…_ The thought passed ominously through his head. _Wait… what could be worse then death?_

Alice stopped in her tracks, turning back to the metal-coated Cracker Jack. "But maybe he can help us." She suggested, an earnest look in her eye.

_Yeah right!_ "Have you forgotten about that weirdo that's tailing us?" he pointed off into the words for emphasis. He pointed back at the walking rust-pot. "This _freak show_ is going to attract his attention for sure!"

"If this knight has survived out here for this long," She protested, her eyes still glued to the knight, "maybe he knows a thing or two." She looked back at him.

Hatter opened his mouth to say something, but Alice turned towards the knight. Hatter flung his arms out in exasperation. _She's gonna regret this…_ He thought. He was silently cursing her strong will when her voice floated over his way.

"Listen, Charlie," _Charlie? She's already given him a nickname?_ Hatter just shook his head. "We have some very bad men following us," She continued, "who wanna kill us an steal the ring. Do you know anywhere we can lay low for awhile?"

Charlie-the-crackpot was kneeling on the ground, still talking to himself. "The stars are aligned in a cosmic ray of hope." He moaned.

Hatter looked at his boots in disbelief. "And you wanna put your faith in him?" He jabbed a finger at the knight.

Alice glanced back at him. "Yes." She seemed to be wrestling with something. "I-I-" She ran back beside Hatter, as if she were whispering something conspiratorially. "he might be nuts and 150 years old and dressed like a car crash," she looked between Charlie and Hatter, "but he's a survivor."

"And I'm not deaf!" Charlie cried from his kneeling position. He stood up, somewhat shakily, and turned to face them. "Just Alice," He began, his nose in the air. "I, Sir Charles Eustace Fotheringay Le Malvoy the Third," _Does he have to say that every time?_ "White Knight, and guardian of the curtsey…" He bent in knees in a quick semblance of a ladies' bow.

"Oh… very nice." Hatter said softly to Alice. _Why am I not surprised?_

"…will be honored to escort you, your goods and," He looked Hatter up and down, curling his lip, "vassal, to my sacred kingdom." He bowed, a gentleman's bow this time.

Hatter stared at him blankly for a moment before pointing at him and turning to Alice. "Did he just call me a _vessel_?"

He heard a slight gargle from Charlie's direction. Hatter turned to see the knight motioning to him. The ancient bucket of rust was actually stuck in his bow. "Quickly, quickly." He whispered. "Sacroiliac."

Hatter dropped his hand and looked to the sky. "Oh, for cryin' out loud." He rolled his eyes and went over to help the old coot.

"Straighten, straighten, straighten, hard, hard." Charlie gasped. Hatter put one hand on Charlie's chest, and the other on the small of his back, and pushed. The knight was upright in no time. "oooh.." He said, probably still feeling the pain. "Good-o." The old codger said as he walked away. _I suppose that means 'thank you'._ Hatter thought, staring after him.

Charlie walked a little ways away from him, and approached a large tree. He clicked his tongue and two horses appeared. Both were a chestnut brown, and each wore a saddle. There was a strange object tied to one. It was long and looked like a net. It drug the ground behind the animal. As to its purpose, Hatter could only guess.

"Alright, mount up!" Charlie called. He placed one of his metal feet in the stirrups of the horse linked to the contraption and pulled on the creature's mane, trying to get up into the saddle. He grunted loudly with the effort.

Hatter rolled his eyes once again. "Hang on, I'll help ya." He said. He walked over to the knight, and pushed his side. Charlie quickly slid up into the saddle. He cleared his throat and pulled the rains to turn the horse. He looked down at Hatter and Alice, both still standing on the ground.

"Well, come on!" He exclaimed. "Mount up, Arthur isn't going to wait for you all day!" Hatter rolled his eyes.

He turned the horse and eyed it suspiciously. _You're kidding._ He thought. _I've never ridden a horse before… well, there's a first time for everything._ He approached the horse, slid his foot in the stirrup, and swung his leg over to the other side. _Now, that wasn't so difficult._ He thought proudly. He turned to give Alice his hand when all of a sudden the horse bucked. Hatter hadn't fully gotten his foot in the other stirrup, nor collected the reins. He flew through the air in a not-so-graceful arc, and landed facedown about ten feet away.

The horse's whinny rang like laughter in Hatter's ears as he struggled to his feet. He brushed himself off and groaned slightly.

"Are you alright?" Alice was suddenly by his side.

"Yeah. nothing's bruised except my pride." He grimaced. _And believe me, that's more than enough._ They turned back towards the horses, only to find that Charlie had already switched mounts.

"I believe you may find Guinevere more to your liking." He said, a smile showing clearly through his ridiculous mustache.

Hatter rolled his eyes, and realized that this was going to become a habit. He approached Guinevere more cautiously and slowly mounted, holding the reins in his hand this time. He made certain that he was fully in the saddle before he offered a hand to Alice. She slid smoothly up into the small space behind Hatter, and wrapped her arms gingerly around his waist.

"Alright, we're off." Charlie nudged Arthur forward, and set off into the woods. Guinevere followed without any prompting from her riders, keeping close on Arthur's tail.


	17. Chapter 17

They rode on for about half an hour before Alice or Hatter spoke. Charlie, on the other hand, sang incessantly.

"Hey, Nonny nonny. Hey nonny nonny." Over and over and over again.

As soon as they were out of one forest, they were into another. The knight seemed to be avoiding open spaces, which, in retrospect, Hatter supposed was a good thing.

They were crossing their third forest when Hatter finally broke the tension that had seemed to build with the silence between him and Alice. He was watching the strange net that was dragging behind him with a certain amount of wonder. "Even works over mud." He said. " It's wiping the tracks clean away." Alice made a noncommittal sound. "Maybe Senile Sam does have a trick or two up his uh," He glanced back at Alice. "escutcheon." He laughed slightly and faced front again.

The horse jerked a little bit and Hatter felt Alice's hands tighten their grip on his jacket. "Are you comfy?" He asked nonchalantly.

"No." She answered. She shifted around a little bit. "Of course not."

"Why don't you just lean forward and put your arms around my waist and let my body take the weight?" He suggested, half joking.

"Yeah, I'm good." _She answered that pretty fast._ Hatter laughed inside his head.

Hatter turned forward again and saw that the Tin Man had stopped his horse and was facing them.

"Welcome," he began, pulling aside several low hanging branches and vines, "to the Kingdom of the Knights."


	18. Chapter 18

Alice and Hatter stared at the spectacle before them in disbelief. It was a large valley that was literally covered in magnificent old ruins. A bridge crossed the width of the gorge in the center of the city, the towers of which looked like giant bishops from a chess set. A large queen piece sat at the mouth of a waterfall, a knight keeping watch behind it. There was another knight carved out of the mountainside on the other side of the gorge. The golden sunlight revealed many more chess pieces strewn throughout the kingdom, and another bridge on the far side of the gorge.

"Well, well, what do you know…" Was all Hatter could say. He was shocked to find the Kingdom so intact. The Queen and her suits had spread it around that they had left no more than rubble, and this was certainly more than that.

As Alice and Hatter stared at the Kingdom in wonder, Charlie spurred Arthur forward, Guinevere following dutifully behind. Before they knew it, they were at a sort of rudimentary camp. There was a stable with a very old bed in the center of it, a hammock hanging from between two trees, and a fire and hanging pot in the very center.

Just as Hatter and Alice had dismounted, Charlie took the horses, removed the tack, wiped them down, and stabled them. Then he pulled Alice off after him, giving her a tour of the charred remains of the once great kingdom.

"Geez, Charlie." Alice whispered. "This place is huge!" They'd been walking around for at least an hour already.

"Before the war with the Queen of Hearts." Charlie started. "This was once the greatest city in the realm." He sighed. "The Red King and his elected council ruled Wonderland with the wisdom of the ages." His voice had a sad an wistful tone to it as Charlie reminisced.

"And the Hearts destroyed everything?" Alice asked him.

"We lived in harmony for 1,000 years." He said. They stopped walking. Hatter looked around, admiring the large ruins. _I can't believe that this is still here._ He thought vaguely. Then he realized they had come full circle and were back at the camp. "But, when the Queen came to power," Charlie continued. "She just wanted to feel the good, not the bad." They were silent for a moment as Charlie started walking again. Alice glanced back at Hatter, who shrugged slightly. _Can't exactly blame 'er._

"Believe it or not, this was once the throne room." Charlie sighed. Hatter followed Charlie's eyes and saw something that he had missed upon his first cursory glance of the area. There were old chairs and tables, now falling apart with age. The walls were all gone and the rubble had been removed. It almost looked as though Charlie had taken painstakingly good care of it. "Sadly," Charlie interrupted Hatter's reverie. "All that's left now is the throne."

Sure enough, at what could only be the head of the now-disintegrated chamber was a large throne made of stone. It was covered with moss and leaves and the stone was looking very weather-beaten. On the throne sat a figure dressed in chain mail and a red tunic. The chain mail was rusted through now, and the tunic's colors had faded and the fabric was rotting away. The crown sitting on the figures head, however, shone to shame the sun. _The Red King._ Hatter realized. The King's skeleton was all that remained now. A noble tribute to survival despite time. Or, at least, it would have been had the King's head not been bowed in defeat.

They stood still, staring at the desiccated room, until Charlie began to move towards the camp. Alice and Hatter followed, absolutely silent. Until sundown, they were sent to fulfill errands; Alice fetched water and Hatter found firewood. Charlie then built a fire and began to cook some strange looking meat over the flames. The meal was finally ready as the sun sunk below the horizon. They still didn't speak.

Finally, it was Alice who broke the silence. "That was good, Charlie. What was it?" Hatter snorted slightly. _She ate something without knowing what it was?_ He looked down at the bone in his hand. _Come to think of it, I don't know what this was either… Oh well…_ He chucked to bone into the woods behind him.

"A barbecued borogove." Charlie said, very proud of himself. "They are the devil to catch, but well worth the trouble. Don't you think?"

Hatter laughed slightly and turned to look at Alice, who was now looking at the rib bone in her hand with a certain degree of doubt. "When in Rome…" She shrugged slightly, the dropped the bone beside her. _What's Rome?_

Charlie put down the poker he had been using to stoke the fire, and rubbed his hands together. "Shan't be long!" He said before heading off into the woods. _Dump._ Hatter decided. He shook his head again.

Alice waited until Tin Man was out of sight then turned to Hatter. "What I wanna know is how we're going to cut a deal with the White Rabbit." She leaned towards him slightly. "Is it really possible?"

_No._ Hatter thought. But he wasn't going to tell her that. "I know a girl," He said. "Carlotta St. Delaware, huh?" He raised his eyebrows at Alice. and nodded his head knowingly, whereas she cocked her's, a confused look clouding her features. _I'd better explain._ "Who dates this guy who used to play cards with a rich kid, who once studied law with an electrician, who works part-time with one of the technical staff." He waited for something, anything from Alice. Nothing. She was very clearly _un_impressed with this connection. Hatter shook his head and stood up, the plate that Charlie had given him earlier in his hand. "I did say it was a long shot," he conceded. "But as long as you've got that ring," he circled around to the opposite side of the fire, and pointed at her hand. "You've got a chance."

Alice's head tilted slightly. "You?" Their eyes met and Alice stood. "What happened to 'we'?"


	19. Chapter 19

Hatter sighed. _I was hoping that she wouldn't catch that._ He thought. They stared at each other for a moment. "I can't leave, Alice." He said. "Wonderland's my home. I can't just abandon it, despite what I said." He hadn't realized it before, but it almost seemed like a slow tide of change was creeping over him. He was getting tired of hiding. He wanted to get out and actually make a difference. The Kingdom of the Knights had made an impact, but, he had a feeling that Mad March was the catalyst for his change. "I have to stay and fight."

"What?" Alice sounded flabbergasted.

"Seeing all this… look! This great kingdom," He motioned around with his arms, "and what's become of it. It's a wake-up call to be honest." He was fibbing slightly. The Kingdom wasn't his only reason, but Alice didn't need to know that. "My people," he began to circle back around the fire towards Alice. "I mean the hundreds of refugees that are all hiding underground, they're all counting on me."

"But, didn't that Dodo guy say that he was going to have you hunted down and _killed_?" Alice reminded him. _Yeah, well, there is that…_

"Yep." He conceded. "But, I'm thinking if I turn up with the ring, he might forgive me." He turned away, unable to look her in the eye.

"So that's what this is about." She said after a moment's silence. The disappointment and betrayal that saturated her voice tore through Hatter like a knife.

"Don't worry, I'll get you home safe and sound first." He tried to reassure her, taking a half step closer.

"And Jack?" She held her ground.

_That name…_ It almost stung worse than Alice's disappointment. He took a step backwards again, then turned away, pacing a little bit. He turned back to her. "You have to forget about Jack," He urged her. "we'll never get him out of the casino alive, and trying is only going to set off alarm bells." Alice shook her head, a look of disbelief and anger on her face. She walked away from him. "It will make your escape impossible!" _Don't turn your back on me…_ his heart cried out.

"Okay, so you were just leading me on back there?" She turned back towards him, her face now full of anger.

Hatter scoffed. "Just believe me. It will be suicide." Alice sat down, now fully ignoring him. She stared into the fire.

Hatter had imagined this conversation going better. He had hoped against hope that Alice would follow his lead and decide to stay as well, and help with the eminent war. Then, when it was over, she would have fallen as hard for him as he had for her, and she would stay in Wonderland forever, with him.


	20. Chapter 20

His heart ached like never before. The longing that he felt for Alice he saw reflected on her face. _Only, that longing isn't for me..._ Hatter thought.

"Jack's a lucky guy." He said softly.

Alice looked up at him, "What?"

"Nothing." Hatter covered himself quickly. He shook his head. "Look, it's late," he began to walk towards Alice, "and we all need our rest. We can argue about this tomorrow." He leaned down beside her. "Yeah?"

She said nothing. Her chin in the air, she stared off ahead of her. Hatter sighed and walked away, taking off his hat with his forearm and flipping it into his hand.

_Why can't she see reason?_ Hatter thought to himself as he scratched his head. He looked around for a place to sleep, and decided on the tree beside the shelter. That way he would be close to Alice to keep her safe. _To keep her safe?_ He questioned himself, _Or to be close to her?_ He shook his head as he settled himself down in between the large roots of the oak tree, set his hat on his knee, and leaned back against its trunk.

He spent the next few minutes getting comfortable before he settled into a fretful sleep.

_He was running through the forest. He saw Alice running ahead of him, her red coat just whipping around tree trunks, always out of reach._

"Alice, wait for me!" He called after her. She just giggled and ran faster. He came to a clearing and stopped short.

In the center stood Mad March. Alice was draped across his arms, her head back, and her eyes empty. Hatter's heart seemed to stop beating.

"Alice!" He called to her desperately. No response. He looked up at Mad March. Their eyes met.

"You've lost again, Hatter." Came Mad March's voice. "You shouldn't have run off the resistance." Mad March's mouth wasn't moving, but his voice echoed around the clearing. "She was doomed to the same fate as your father."

"NO!" Hatter screamed. He lunged forward, his arms stretched out towards Mad March's neck. His fingers wrapped themselves around his throat...

The cawing of a crow jolted Hatter awake. He looked around, bleary eyed. "What was that?" He called out as he pushed himself to his feet.

Charlie answered him. "That's the Early Warning System! Someone has broken through the perimeter!"

Hatter turned to the shelter to make sure that Alice was alright. Her bed was empty. "Where is Alice?" He turned to Charlie for the answer.

The old codger was too busy running around gathering axes and weapons and shouting 'Battle stations!' for him to pay Hatter any attention.

"Sound the Order of the Seraphim! Drum!"

Hatter looked around for Alice, his heart beating faster with every second she was gone. Then, it felt like his heart stopped.

There, on a tree, hung her coat. She had left.

"No..." Hatter's world seemed to be falling down around him. His Alice was gone, and Hatter had feeling that he knew who had taken her. He screamed, "_**NO!**_"


	21. Chapter 21

"I need a horse." Hatter demanded.

Charlie stared at him for a moment. "W-well I suppose you could use Guinevere." He stammered.

Hatter was off like a shot. He threw the bridle around the horse's head, cinching it up quickly. He then reached for the saddle pad.

Charlie caught up just as Hatter was going back for the saddle. "W-w-which way should we go?"

_Great... A tag-a-long_ "You don't have to come, Charlie." Hatter insisted. "This isn't your fight."

"Wha- You couldn't be more wrong!" Charlie countered. "You led to Alice of legend to me _for a reason_. Call it what you will," Hatter walked around Guinevere to cinch up her girth, and Charlie kept rattling on, "divinity, fate, and alignment of forces beyond mortal understanding. In time you will see that _I_ am the true paladin here, and you are merely a _harbinger_!"

_Does he have any idea what he's talking about?_ Hatter thought to himself. _Probably not_

"Besides, you'll never find her without my help." Charlie added. "Remember, I'm also well versed in the black arts."

At this point Hatter was just finishing the knot on Guinevere's girth and had completely tuned Charlie out. _Fool, how could she go out on her own? Doesn't she know what- of course she doesn't... she has no idea what he's like..._ He gathered up the reins, placed his left foot in the stirrup in front of him, and mounted up. He situated himself in the saddle and began to turn Guinevere east.

"You're going the wrong way harbinger." Charlie's voice cut through his reverie. Hatter pulled Guinevere short and turned back to look at the knight. "We should go west."

"You go west." Hatter retorted. "I'm goin' east."

"W-why?" Charlie was completely flabbergasted.

"She's going to the Hearts Casino." Hatter replied. He spurred Guinevere forward.

"But... That's certain death..." Charlie said softly.

_You don't need to tell me twice._


	22. Chapter 22

Hatter spurred Guinevere forward, falling quickly into the rise and fall of the horse's shoulders.

He sighed. _Alice, how could you do this? I was supposed to keep you safe._ He hit his palm against his forehead. _No, I know exactly why you did this... You're going after_ "Jack." He spat the name out with disgust.

_This was so backwards. Why should Alice, the sweetest and most beautiful woman in the world, have to go and rescue __**Jack?**__ Isn't Alice supposed to be the damsel in distress? That should be her first clue that this relationship was wrong._

Hatter laughed out loud. He was grasping at straws and he knew it. He wanted Alice so bad that he could rationalize almost anything. The fact that she didn't, in any way whatsoever, want him just tore him apart.

"Why the hell do I love her so much?" He whispered to himself. He spurred Guinevere into a canter, as if to avoid answering the question.

"Where are you Alice?" He asked aloud. No one but the trees heard him.

_It's only a matter of time before that traitorous bastard finds her._ His heart began to beat quicker as the memories of hurt and betrayal began to flood his mind. _Apparently, I didn't kill him enough the first time. If he hurts her... so help me, they won't be able to bring him back again._

He emerged from the woods and onto a plain covered with brush. He pulled Guinevere to a stop as he gazed across the scrubland towards the Hearts' Casino, and Alice.


	23. Chapter 23

Hatter spurred Guinevere forward.

_It doesn't do to dwell in the past._ He decided. _Every time I think of that guy..._ His hands gripped tightly on the reins as he stared down at the pommel of his saddle.

Unwanted memories began to swim before his eyes.

_"Hey, Hatter!" A young, brown-haired boy came running toward him, waving his arm back and forth in the air._

"March!" Hatter shouted back as he stood to greet his friend.

Even at a young age, Hatter and March had been the greatest of friends. This was fostered, of course, by the great friendship between their fathers.

The memories began to flash quickly across his mind.

_Hatter's father and March's father having tea together._

Hatter and March wrestling on the lawn.

Hatter and March running through a garden of white roses.

Hatter and March getting caught by one of the Queen's suits.

March crying on Hatter's shoulder as they sat in a cold, dark room.

Their father's busting them out of the dungeon, and all four of them running across the dark, moonlit lawn outside the Queen's House of Cards.

This last particular memory hung in Hatter's memory a little longer than the others. As it played repeatedly through his mind. Charlie caught up with him.

"On we charge, eh?" Charlie said. His armor gleamed in the sun, and he looked almost over-eager to race to the rescue of _Just-Alice_.

Hatter jerked out of his reverie. He glanced at Charlie, then turned towards the House of Cards. "Yeah, on we charge."


	24. Chapter 24

It was a half-day's easy riding from the Kingdom of the Knight's to the Heart's Casino. Needless to say, Hatter and Charlie completed the journey in half that time. Hatter galloped Guinevere until the froth was flying from her mouth and the sweat turned her coat black.

Still, to Hatter, the journey seemed to take a lifetime.

_Why am I running off to save her?_ The most apparent reason flowed into his mind. _The ring._ But, he knew that that wasn't the only reason. _She's stubborn, and insistent, and loud, and... and..._ Those reasons didn't seem to matter. All he saw was her sweet face, her brown hair resting lightly on her shoulders, her piercing blue eyes, and her pale skin, gleaming in the sun.

He knew then that he would do whatever it took to keep her, and Wonderland, safe. _Even,_ he thought, _even if that means saving this_ Jack _guy_. He grimaced slightly at the thought of him, but then Alice's grateful face swam across his mind. He sighed, and spurred Guinevere to move faster.

When they finally arrived at the Heart's Casino, they came to a stop. Hatter dismounted. Charlie whispered something into Guinevere's ear, and the horse turned back towards the ruined kingdom. After a moment, Arthur followed.

Hatter shook his head at the ancient knight. Sending them away made sense - even if Hatter wouldn't admit it. If a suit found the horses, it was game over. Also, he had a feeling that getting out wouldn't be as easy as getting in.

Hatter walked stealthily around the base of the casino until he found a small, somewhat inconspicuous door. However, it was marked "Knock".

_We can be somewhat obvious sometimes..._ He shook his head, and knocked on the door.

A moment later, they were answered by a large, somewhat brutish suit in a brown vest.

"Hi." Hatter greeted the man.

"Who the hell are you?" He had a deep voice, and a blank look on his face.

Hatter smiled slightly. "We're the new act, Robinson and... Duckworth." Charlie snickered slightly. Hatter motioned at the knight, who stood behind him. "He's Robinson, I'm Duckworth." _I hope Charlie can follow my lead._ "We're guardians to the mesmeric portals of the cosmos." His tongue almost tripped over the words.

"Huh?" The suit wore a stupid, confused look on his face.

"Stage hypnotists." Hatter clarified.

"This is good fun!" Charlie half-whispered in excitement.

Hatter glanced back at him. _Apparently not..._ He laughed it off nervously. He took his hat off and tossed it lightly up in the air. "He means the act." He caught it again, and passed it around behind his back. "It's good fun, when we do it." He flipped the hat in his hand, then tossed it up high into the air. After a moment, it fell back down and landed on his head. He tapped it lightly.

The suit stared at him for a moment, his eyes practically crossed in contemplation. Then he turned to yell inside, "You got clearance for stage hypnotists?"

Hatter rolled his hand into a fist, then whistled to get the Suit's attention. He turned and stared at Hatter for a second. Hatter reared back, and socked him on the jaw, knocking him flat. He shook his hand slightly, adjusted his hat, and stepped over the prone figure on the floor.


	25. Chapter 25

Hatter led Charlie through a maze of old costume racks, and unused props until he found a set of stairs leading up. He motioned for Charlie to keep quiet, then he moved slowly up the stairs, being careful not to make too much noise.

After what seemed like an eternity, they came out in another hallway. There was a steady flow of traffic, so Hatter hung back in the doorway for a moment, scanning the corridor for any suspicious characters. No one stood out, so he took a few step forward.

"Ladies." He touched his hat as a pair of female suits walked by him. One giggled, but the other pulled her along, away from him.

He looked around. The walls were a dull color somewhere between white and a silvery-gray. There was a staircase on his right that led to an upper floor. He looked up and saw the sky through the roof. He resisted the temptation to let out a low whistle. _How are we goin' to find her in all this mess?_ He shook his head and sighed.

He turned around, and there stood Charlie, looking around in the same awe. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Hatter hurried to catch up with him.

"Well," Hatter started, "we're in, but we don't have much time." He passed him, still spouting instructions over his shoulder. "We should split up and search intermediate floors."

"Why?" Charlie demanded.

Hatter stopped in his tracks, rolled his eyes, and turned around to face the old rust-pot. "Why?" he repeated. "Because we don't know where she is."

Charlie started toward him, moving his hands in a mystical, circular motion. "I shall reach into the mist to lift the heavy veil that shrouds the oracle."

_The oracle?_ Hatter rolled his eyes again.

Charlie started making a raspy, almost guttural sound in the back of his throat as he place his fingers on his temples. "Galadoon..." Hatter glanced around nervously. _At this rate, Charlie will attract the attention of the whole damn place!_

"What are you doin'?" Hatter asked. Charlie didn't answer for a moment. Hatter didn't exactly know what answer he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the one that came out of Charlie's mouth.

Suddenly, he seemed to snap out of his reverie and point ahead. "Down here!" He exclaimed. "Take the second left at the stairs that lead up to the third floor, then after the double doors, take the third walkway on the right over the fitness center to Reception B and ask Shelia!"

"Shelia?" Hatter asked, unconvinced.

"Maybe it's Shakena..." Charlie shrugged. "Come on!"

He started forward, and Hatter had no choice but to follow. His directions led them to Shelia, who, after some convincing, told them that Alice was being held through the silver door at the end of the hall. Hatter tipped his hat to her, and ran over to the door.

But, before they reached it, they felt an energy surge, like they had run through some kind of electrical field. Suddenly, the scenery round them changed. They were no longer in a corridor of boring white, but, instead, were in a small hallway with beige walls, a cherry wood table and a chair to his left, two paintings, and a pair of wooden pocket doors on his right.

He quickly assessed the situation, ran to open the doors. His momentum almost carried him through them. He let out a small exclamation, but managed to catch himself before he fell into the room. Literally - there was no floor.

"Hatter!" He voice was like music to his ears, and his heart slowed down a beat. It had been beating so fast, it seemed likely to leap through his chest. He looked up, and across the room.

There stood Alice. His Alice.


	26. Chapter 26

She stood behind a floating desk, on a very, _very_ small piece of wood. A pair of large blue eyes stared through the window behind her.

"Who's that?" Hatter saw another pair of eyes through the windows to his right.

"Go away! This is a private session!"

_Stuff you._ Hatter pushed the doors all the way open, and held his hand out to Alice. "Jump!" Their eyes met briefly.

"Get rid of him!"

After a moment, Alice climbed up on the desk, and jumped onto the lamp, using her momentum to swing across the large open gap, and into Hatter's outstretched arms.

He caught her, and pulled her back from the doors. She was safe in his arms now. His Alice was safe.

_No._ He told himself forcefully. _Not my Alice, she's Jack's Alice._ He pushed her back from him a few inches.

"How did you get in here?" She asked, gripping his sleeves, and regaining her balance.

"I don't know." He replied, his mind grasping onto something easy to comprehend that didn't involve the whirlwind of emotion stirring around inside of him. "Ask Charlie." He added.

They looked over to see the zany old knight running his hands along the wall. "Believe it or not," He began, "we're in your head."

"What?" Alice asked, incredulously.

"Don't ask." Hatter interrupted her.

"Sound the alarm! Call the guard!" A voice filtered through the open doorway. _They must be Drs. Dee and Dum._ Hatter thought to himself. _I remember March saying something about them..._ Anger was mixed in with the tumult of emotion that whirled around his chest, and he tightened his fists.

He glanced over at Charlie, and the small expanse of wall before him swung open. Charlie looked confused for a moment, then stepped back for Hatter and Alice to rush past him and into the corridor.

They ran down the hall, around a corner, and down the first staircase they came to. They turned right, and came out in a sort of waiting room with a number of red and white chairs - and suits, lots of suits. They came towards Hatter, Alice, and Charlie who were forced to alter course. An elevator opened to their left, and a woman got out, carrying a tray of teas. The trio rushed past her and into the elevator. The doors slid shut just as the suits converged on them.

Hatter pounded the 'UP' button.

"Up?" She moved to stand in from of him. "Why up?"

"Do we have a choice?" Hatter shot back.

"Alice of legend," Charile began. Hatter rolled his eyes, and stared up at the ceiling. "Your presence in this world is no accident. You are here for a reason."

"Please, Charlie, it's just plain Alice." She interrupted him, making a futile attempt to correct his preconceived notions about her.

"Just Plain Alice, I will stand at your side, shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to..."

"Charile!" Hatter cried desperately. "Now's not such a good time."

"You guys shouldn't have come." Alice berated him. "You could get yourselves killed."

_That doesn't matter._ "Did you give the ring up, Alice?" he asked her instead,

"Look, I have things under control."

"You tried to cut a deal with the Queen, didn't you?" _And you think that __I__ was flirting with danger?_

"I was getting close." She said, indignantly.

"'Getting close'?" he repeated, flabbergasted. "Maybe I'm wrong, but negotiations didn't appear to be going so well."

"Well, I need more time."

"For what?" He shouted. It was all too much. he was about to explode from all of the different emotions tumbling in different directions, first one way then another. And now, Alice had the gall to blame him when he was the one who had just saved her? "Do you really think the Queen's just gonna send you and your boyfriend home?"

"No." Alice replied, shaking her head, a strange look coming over her face.

"No, of course not!"

"Because he's her son."

Silence filled the elevator. Hatter's mind shut down. _Jack... Heart?_


	27. Chapter 27

"The Prince?" Hatter asked blankly. His mind seemed to be catching up with him again. "Jack Heart?" He locked eyes with Alice, praying that it wasn't true. _Anyone but him…_ "Jack Heart is your boyfriend?"

The doors to the elevator slid open, and he was almost blinded by the light that poured in. They seemed to be on a terrace, or something. A pair of Suits turned at the sound of the door, and started toward them.

_Great._

Hatter rushed out of the elevator and aimed a punch at the first suit, who ducked, grabbed him by the elbow and spun him around. Hatter regained his footing, and took another swing at him, but missed again. They threw punches for a few seconds before the Suit landed one across Hatter's chin. The Suit grabbed the collar of Hatter's jacket, and began punching him in the face, forcing him backwards towards the concrete railing. He got one hand around Hatter's throat, and pushed him backwards across the half-wall.

Hatter looked down and gulped slightly at the distance.

_You may have caught me off guard,_ he thought, _but I can take you!_

He pulled his left hand back, and balled it into a fist, then slammed it into the Suit's side, forcing him to let go. Without thinking twice, he smashed the Suit's face into the wall. He shook his head, and wiped away some blood from the corner of his mouth. Then, he picked up hit hat. As he turned back to face the suit, he threw it from his right hand up to his left, and as his eyes followed it, Hatter punched the suit as hard as his could, breaking the man's nose. The suit fell to the ground unconscious.

_Now, for the other one…_

Hatter replaced his hat, and turned around to see Charlie hit the other Suit on the top of his head with his fist. The Suit was out cold.

_No way…_ He thought. _Oh well,_ he shrugged, _we have bigger problems to worry about._

He ran over to Alice, scanning her up and down. _She seems to be okay._

"What now?" She asked him. Hatter came to a halt, and looked around him.

Over by the edge of the terrace sat three large pink Flamingocycles. Hatter had seen the Suits fly on them before, so he knew a little of their capabilities.

"We get on one of those." He said, pointing at them. "Get on." He started towards them.

"Articulated birds of the Empyrean!" Charlie gushed over one of them. "What genius!"

_Whatever that means…_ Hatter walked up to the next one, and glanced around to make sure no more Suits were coming.

"These things fly?" Alice asked, her voice saturated with doubt.

"We don't have time to think, Alice. Just get on." He swung his leg over the seat, and began to examine the controls. He saw Alice glance over the edge, then back away quickly.

"I am not getting on that." She said decidedly.

"You don't have another choice." Hatter countered emphatically.

"You don't understand." She replied. "I'm _not getting on that_."

_Fear of heights. Go figure._ "It's perfectly safe." He attempted to assure her. He saw the look of disbelief on her face. "Safe-ish." He amended, looking away.

"No, I have a thing about flying." She argued, her voice growing more desperate.

Hatter heard a door bang open, and several more Suits emerged on the terrace. They leveled their guns, and began to fire at them.

"Yeah, I've got a thing about bullets." Their eyes met briefly. "Look, I'll do the flying. All you have to do is hold on." He could see the clear panic in her face. "Look at me." He locked eyes with her. "I wouldn't let you do it if I didn't think you'd be okay." She examined him for a moment, and then nodded.

"Okay," She breathed. She put her hand on his shoulder and swung her leg over the Flamingocycle seat.

"How do you get it to fly?" Charlied asked, staring very intensely at the back of the bird's head. Hatter watched him push a small red button at the base of the bird's metal head, and the Flamingocycle roared off the terrace, and flew off into the sky, carrying a screaming Charlie with it.

"Like that, I suppose." Hatter said, rhetorically.

"That's fast!" Alice said breathlessly.

"Oh, yeah." Hatter looked down at the bird's head. "Hold on." He pushed the button, and the Flamingocycle leapt from the terrace and flew off into the sky. Hatter could hear bullets behind them. Hatter felt Alice grab him tightly around the waist.

_If we weren't so close to dying, I'd probably enjoy this a lot more._ He decided. They flew around the corner of the building, and Hatter felt a brief stab of pain in his chest as he saw the big, red, neon sign that read _Heart's Casino_.

"I suppose it's his lofty airs and graces, huh?" He said sarcastically. He thought that her lack of response would make him feel better. No such luck

"He doesn't have 'airs and graces'." She replied.

"Really?" He bit out. "Well, what then?"

She took a moment to reply. "Just shut up and drive!" She told him.

That didn't make him feel better either. He glanced back at her, and was about to say something, but thought better of it and so held his tongue. He contented himself with furrowing his brow and staring angrily ahead of him.

They soon caught up to Charlie, and pulled alongside him.

"We are angels!" The knight exclaimed. "The wind and clouds at our command! Oh, heavenly joy!" He gestured grandly with his left hand, and the Flamingocycle dipped wildly downward, but Charlie managed to regain control.

Hatter heard a gunshot from somewhere behind them. He looked back over his shoulder, and saw two Suits following them.

He cursed under his breath as they fired more gunshots. He heard a dull clink, and dark black smoke began to pour out of Charlie's engine.

"I'm going down." Charlie said as his Flamingocycle tipped downward and began to spiral downwards in a dizzying nosedive.

"No!" Alice cried.

"Charlie!" Hatter called after him. They watched, helpless to stop him as he crashed into the water below.

BANG! More gunshots. Hatter glanced behind them, and saw the Suits were drawing closer.

"Alice," he said, "hold on!" Sure enough, a moment later, they were hit, and black smoke billowed out behind him, thick as clouds. They hit the water, hard, and Hatter felt Alice's arms rip away from his waist.

He fought for freedom from the Flamingocycle as it dragged him father and farther under the surface. He eventually broke free, and began kicking towards the surface.


End file.
